Category: <span>SIP</span>
 
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Category: <span>SIP</span>

More SIP Certified Vineyards

June 3, 2013

Nothing beats a SIP seal spotting on the local news! Check out this great clip on SIP Certification and Wolff Vineyards.  KCOY Santa Maria, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo - News [Read more...]


Farmers: Mark Pisoni in the Vineyard

May 20, 2013

[caption id="attachment_4456" align="alignright" width="240"] Pisoni Vineyards[/caption] Several Mondays ago I posted an email interview I had done with Mark Pisoni of Pisoni Vineyards. In this post I’d like to leave you with this short video I did with Mark a few months back when I went up to his neck of the woods to meet with a few of the SIP (Sustainability in Practice) farmers. As I’ve said before I found Mark to be super passionate about farming and sustainability. His passion for it makes you want to hear and learn more about it. Farming... [Read more...]


Green Wine Chat: Paso Robles Wines and Other Tidbits

May 13, 2013

[caption id="attachment_4439" align="alignleft" width="227"] Green Wine Chat[/caption] We recently did our second Green Wine Chat on a Google Plus Hangout. Jerry James Stone, Larry Fournillier, and I (Matt Browne) were joined by Ashley Routson and Fritze Westover (SIP’s newest team member) to talk about the Paso Robles region and taste a few of the wines that this amazing, up and coming area has to offer. Our goal is to do one of these chats per month so be sure to check them out and submit any ideas you may have for future topics. I absolutely... [Read more...]


Meet the SIP Farmer: Doug Filipponi

May 6, 2013

Doug Filipponi, Managing Member, Margarita Vineyards Classic Rock or Classic Country? Rock. Favorite spot in the vineyard? A place we call Oyster Ridge. Best tip for surviving the "Roller Coaster They Call Farming"? Read everything you can get hold of and stay at it. Red or White or...? Red. Most Surprising Aha Farming Moment? Seeing the effects of adding compost tea to the drip stream. When you're not farming, where would we find you? In the pickup on the cell phone. Wranglers or Levis? Wranglers of course. Is there anything else you'd like to tell us? Never... [Read more...]


A Photo Tour of Earth Day Food & Wine Festival 2013!!!

April 29, 2013

[caption id="attachment_4435" align="alignright" width="180"] #EDFW13[/caption] Another Earth Day Food and Wine Festival is in the books and I can definitely say they somehow manage to get better and better each year. As you’ll see from the photos in the slideshow below there were tons of people, amazing food and wine, great music, owls, and so much more. This was the last year for this event at Pomar Junction Winery and they have been absolutely fantastic hosts. In 2014 we will switch venues to Castoro Cellars on Hwy 46 West in Paso Robles. I’ve been fortunate... [Read more...]


SIP Certified: Pisoni Vineyards and Winery

April 22, 2013

[caption id="attachment_4416" align="alignright" width="160"] Mark Pisoni[/caption] I had the chance to meet with Mark Pisoni a couple of months back and found the guy to be super down-to-Earth and quite passionate about his family vineyards, farming, and being SIP Certified. Below you will find three questions I asked him as well as his answers. On a future blog post I will be posting a video I did with him as well, so stay tuned for that. 1)    Your passion for farming and being in the vineyards was evident to me when we met, has this... [Read more...]


An Interview with Jason Yeager, Niner Wine Estates

April 15, 2013

What brought you to the wine industry? I was born and raised in the Napa Valley when it was still known more for the state mental hospital than it was for great wines. My great, great grandparents came to the valley in the 1870’s so I am the 5th generation in Napa. The last family members in the farming profession were both great grandfather’s on my mother’s side. My great grandfather, George Mollo, had 12 acres of Zinfandel vines that he sold to Christian Brothers. My other great grandfather, Harry Young, was the ranch manager... [Read more...]


Green Wine Chat – The Basics of Wine Tasting & Pairing

April 9, 2013

Be sure to check out this Google Plus Hangout (video chat) we did on April 2nd with a couple of us from SIP as well as Jerry James Stone and Larry Fournillier. This was the first one in a once monthly Google Plus wine chat we will be doing. Be sure to join in the fun and let us know if you have any ideas for future chats!! [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCc9Jjjmn2Q[/youtube] [Read more...]


Meet the SIP Farmers: John Hilliard

April 8, 2013

John Hilliard, Winemaker, Hilliard Bruce Classic Rock or Classic Country? Valkyries with saddle bags of souls. Favorite spot in the vineyard? Our hill top overlooks famous Santa Rita Hills vineyards of Melville, Foley, Clos Pepe, Kessler Haak, Babcock, Turner, Brewer Clifton, Huber, Gypsy Canyon and Cebada Canyon. The cliff was once an acorn grinding rock for the ancient Chumash culture. Red or White or...? Orange juice with sparkling wine and a Cuban cigar- stolen from pirates. Best tip for surviving the "Roller Coaster They Call Farming"? My family has survived sugar cane farming since before Louisiana... [Read more...]


April Brings Us Earth Day

April 1, 2013

Happy first day of April, otherwise known as April Fool’s Day. More importantly though, April is the month of Earth Day and our event, Earth Day Food and Wine Festival, on April 20 at Pomar Junction Vineyard & Winery. The festival is a great way to bring a bunch of people together with the common interest of taking better care of the Earth and each other. Although I personally always understood the importance of this it wasn’t until I first attended this event and met the folks at the Central Coast Vineyard Team that it... [Read more...]